A MOTHER has narrowly avoided jail over her 14-year-old son's persistent truancy.

Melanie Gould, 32, of Aston, Birmingham, appeared before magistrates yesterday afternoon over her son Jamie Oldacre's constant failure to attend a school in Wolverhampton.

Gould admitted she did not ensure the teenager went to Deansfield High School, Wolverhampton, where he had been a pupil since 2003.

She was given a 16-week jail term for the offence, which was suspended for one year, as well as being made the subject of a parenting order.

Wolverhampton magistrates were told that Gould, who has two other boys aged ten and 16, had been before the court on two previous occasions on similar charges.

Tracey Christie, prosecuting for Wolverhampton City Council, said that over a period from April to July last year Jamie attended school for just 60 sessions out of 138 - a session being either morning or afternoon classes.

When Gould was confronted over Jamie's truancy and asked by welfare officers why he was not at school she said he was either "asleep" or "had the flu".

Ms Christie said the council had made every effort to help her, but she failed to keep appointments to try and resolve the problem.

In mitigation for Gould her solicitor, John Roe, said she was a single parent who struggled to cope with Jamie's bad behaviour.

"She tries her best to control her son, but has problems establishing boundaries."

Since last October Gould had moved from Wolverhampton to Birmingham and was still trying to find Jamie a school, but there was a lack of secondary places, he added.

Outside court, Gould said she had got off lightly.

She said: "I'm relieved I didn't get sent to prison. I hope this makes a difference to Jamie's behaviour and that he knows I could go to prison if he doesn't go to school. I'm going to have to get tough this time."